Every year the news that train fares will be going up leads to an outburst of political bickering amongst the Towns’ politicos.

The mud is slung back and forth, debating what percentage fares would’ve gone up under one party and whose most at fault.

Meanwhile hard-pressed commuters worryingly look at their budgets to see if/how they are going to be able to cope with forking out more money for travel.

Amid the debate about percentages it’s worth remembering many people think fares shouldn’t be going up at all. Why pay more if the service stays the same, they ask.

The truth is, whatever party is in power, fares go up. The percentages may be different but that’s likely to be of little comfort.

Running the railways costs money, and the government wants you to foot more of the bill.

The white paper stipulating this was introduced by the last Labour government in 2007, but the Tories haven’t rushed to reverse it.

When the railways were nationalised, tax payers and commuters split the cost down the middle. One thing our politicians agree on is that fares are too high, so would they contemplate re-nationalisation?

--

Bosses at Medway Hospital show no signs of backing down in the row over blue badge charges, which will return to the agenda this week.

Councillors called for them to be scrapped at full council last month, but in a letter the hospital’s deputy chief executive Patrick Johnson said they are satisfied their position is “equitable and reasonable”, pointing out the hospital offers a number of concessions for disabled visitors.

Chief executive Mark Devlin is due to be quizzed by councillors on the health committee tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

Morning. Big day today. Not that every day at the Olympic Games isn’t big, just that this is possibly the biggest yet.

Yes Kent athletes have won a silver and bronze so far, which took Kent up to 27^th place in the medal table (if we were a country), temporarily level with Norway and Indonesia and ahead of Spain and NZ.

However this morning sees the start of the track and field events at the Olympic Stadium, and for many, that is when the ‘real’ Olympics starts.

Jack Green will be the first Kent athlete to hit the track at these Games in his 400m hurdles heat at 11.50am today.

He’s only 20, but he has the brain of a 75-year-old super-genius that you could quite easily envisage going rogue and ending up as a baddie in X-Men.

He’s got it all mapped out, everything, his entire path to the top. What he needs to do, how he needs to do it, how to boost his profile, how to get people to notice. He is an experienced head in the very gifted body of a 20-year-old athlete. These will be his first Games, I have absolutely no doubt they will not be his last.

He is a reporter’s dream, if I’m honest. Just this week he told the press ‘I’m here to win a medal, I don’t want to be a supporting role, I want to be the star.’

Now that might come across as cocky, arrogant, whatever, to some people, but he’s got the skills to pay those whopping bills he’s running up. He is deservedly the seventh fastest man in the world in his event this year, and anything other than an appearance in the Olympic Final on Monday night would be a big surprise and even bigger disappointment.

0o0

I last saw you at Eton Dorney on Wednesday, right? Well that was quite a day too. It pretty much summed up the Olympics for me.

Tom Ransley and his GB men’s eight mates left absolutely everything out there on that water. They were easily the second best crew in that competition, and we all know that should mean silver, yeah?

No, they could so easily have rowed tactically and secured a silver, but I reckon these are the type of guys who see silver as the ‘first loser’s’ position.

They did absolutely everything they could to try and win gold, and they made us all believe they could do that, leading 2/3 of the way through, but eventually, when those classy Germans found their extra gear (having been scared witless by GB, I should add) GB had nothing more to give, and I firmly believe at that point that it didn’t matter whether it was silver or bronze or fourth.

Yes, it’s an Olympic medal, but it should really be a reminder of the courage and bravery they showed in trying to win it all, against the odds, and how close they came. It’s a fantastic example to set to Olympians of the future. Go for Gold. Sounds simple, but it’s really not.

0o0

After Eton I rushed back to Big Smoke to watch Ashley Jackson and GB take on South Africa at the Riverbank.

What a strange game that was. Jackson smashed GB ahead with a trademark penalty-corner bullet, but then for some strange reason the momentum shifted and you could sense an equaliser before it arrived and then you just ‘knew’ that SA would go ahead.

In the end they took the lead five minutes from time, but Jackson’s scruffy, multi-deflected goal salvaged a point at least for the hosts with two minutes to go.

To say he was disappointed after the game was an understatement. It’s great fun watching people succeed here at these Games, but to see things go wrong – which is part of sport, we all know – is never a comfortable experience.

0o0

Thursday was my unofficial day-off at these Games, so guess what I did? I went to the Olympic Games. J

It was the quietest day  of the Games from a Kent perspective and a good chance to recharge my batteries before a hectic weekend of athletics, so I was given permission to stay in bed all day.

But it’s the Olympic Games. I went up on an early train with my family and friends and enjoyed the experience like a punter for the first and probably only time. I had such a good day.

You see I’m sort of isolated from the goings-on in the middle of the Park most of the time. I’m either stuck in a press lounge typing away, or on some crammed bus making my way from one venue to the next.

So just strolling through the throng of people enjoying the experience yesterday was really refreshing. The patriotism and pride of all the nations under the sun came together to hang in the air like an early morning mist.

Every few yards there was a group of colourfully-adorned foreigners draped in flags, hats, scarves, shirts, novelty glasses, anything and everything to show off where they were from and who they would be supporting,

And the best thing was each group would take pictures of each other... so the sight of some staunchly proud Lithuanians (I assume on their way to the basketball arena) stopping a squad of whooping Frenchmen to ask  them to pose for a picture was just fantastic. Bringing people together, I TOLD you!

Maybe even better was the group of Cuban guys walking toward the Velodrome with flags fluttering behind them. The one in the middle had an especially big grin and a T-Shirt which read ‘My son is an Olympic Cyclist’ next to a big picture of some Adonis in a lycra suit and a space-age helmet.

It might be just because I have not been sleeping enough, or it might be because I am a big pansy, but I am finding the whole experience of the Games very emotional.

There are just so many emotions floating on the air like the smoke after a spectacular firework display, and they are all magnified by the Olympic stage.

This is not your usual brand of despair, you haven’t just missed your bus, the lifetime dream which you have religiously dedicated yourself towards for years has just been dashed. That cannot fail to make an impression on the people present to see it happen.

And by the same token the levels of pride and joy are also hugely inflated. Imagine how proud you were when your kid won the egg and spoon race at sports day.... now imagine how proud that Cuban dad feels today. I can’t get my head around it.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but this is a very special event. Just being in the Park allows you to soak it up.

So do what my brother is doing. He wasn’t particularly fussed about all this, but when he came up yesterday he caught the bug, and is now sitting at home, hitting refresh on the www.london2012.com ticket website, desperate to find another way to get back up here and get another fix of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Don’t leave it too late! I promise you'd regret it!

Good morning. I think. It’s been a super busy few days and I’ve pretty much lost track of what day it is, what time it is, whether left is right and how to spell the word palce. I mean palce. See! Place. :)

I have spoken to a fair few people from across the global press corps in the last few days, and we all look the same. Glazed eyes with a red ring around them, crumpled clothes like they have been worn for at least 40 hours and the minty-fresh breath of the person who had been unable to brush their teeth that day and have made up for it with a fistful of extra strong mints.

0o0

So I last saw you shortly before my bus out to the rowing at gorgeous Eton Dorney on Monday. It might not surprise regular readers to discover that I was, again, the only passenger on the 4.50am departure, but I didn’t mind. Meant I got the spectacular London sunrise all to myself.

Sitting in the third from top row of the press tribune at Dorney is my new favourite place. I get up there an hour or so before the first race and just chill out in the sunshine, enjoy the soothing sounds of oars in water and rhythmic breathing as the crews warm-up infront of me, and go through the race details I need to know.

Tom Ransley and the GB men’s eight did the business, winning the repechage and securing their place in the final this afternoon.

I can’t wait. If the crowds have been noisy so far, just imagine how loud they’ll be when Britain are in the hunt for medals in the final 200m.

Tom once again swerved me after the race, but I was better prepared this time and made him promise to talk after the final. I have lots of witnesses so, if you’re reading Tom, you’d better come through! 

0o0

Back to the Olympic Park and I resisted the temptation to join the crowds of journos heading to the diving competition involving Tom Daley.

Instead I kept an eye on the eventing on the big screen TV in the press centre and prepared for yesterday evening’s GB hockey game.

Now I am not entirely sure why, but I have a big soft spot for the Riverbank Arena already (even though I occasionally write the word Riverside, during particularly tired, brain-addled moment -, not my fault though, blame Middlesbrough FC!).

It’s neat and compact and has everything you want in a stadium and pretty much nothing that you don’t. It is also absolutely PERFECT for Mexican Waves, which I’m sure are the reason why some people go to sport in the first place, just to take part.

I saw Ashley Jackson put in a virtuoso performance. Despite having written about him for more than four years, having interviewed him countless times and even having been to his house (which he doesn’t remember, but I assure you he was there too!), it was the first time I had seen him play a full game live.

What a player he is. I like clever ones, the simple passes, the almost relaxed air about them, like everything’s going on at half-speed in their eyes, and then all of a sudden, BANG, killer pass or little jink between two men and a dart into space. GB really were excellent against Argentina, winning 4-1, and look forward to seeing more of them as the tournament progresses.

After the game, and speaking to AJ (poor bloke, masterminds a fine international win in the Olympics and who’s the first person he sees at pitch side with a mic, some big bloke from the KM!), I rushed off to get home for some much-needed shut-eye.

0o0

I was back bright and early at the Aquatics Centre on Tuesday to see Ellen Gandy’s 200m breaststroke heat. I had a decision to make, as William Fox-Pitt and the eventing team were closing in on a medal in the team event and I couldn’t attend both.

However I probably chose right. Gandy led through three of the four lengths but cruelly, uncomfortably, wilted before our very eyes in the final straight. She wound-up fifth in her heat, and was 17^th fastest, with only 16 making the semi-finals. This is a girl who won World Championship silver in this event just last year and who had been a solid hope for a GB medal.

I get to watch a lot of cool stuff. I love sport. But I don’t enjoy watching things like that one little bit.

I genuinely, sincerely hope her Games isn’t over and she gets a swim in a relay and a shot at redemption. Tuesday is no way for a home Games to end for anyone, let alone ‘one of the good ones’ like she is.

0o0

So I watched the equestrian finale from the swimming press centre, though I was the only one paying any attention.

My fist-pump when NZ’s Mark Todd knocked off a pole in the final round, all-but securing Britain’s top three place, went largely unnoticed. It was very unprofessional of me however. I am supposed to remain impartial, I am working, after-all. But sometimes it’s good to get caught up on a bit of national excitement, and let’s be honest, how many silvers are we going to be able to celebrate?

0o0

And so I was back home on Tuesday night to watch the waterpolo and women’s football on the fabulous red-button. I know I’m lucky to be doing the Games, but you’re lucky to be able to watch what you want, whenever you want. I have to catch a jam-packed bus and walk up hundreds of stairs to ‘change channels.’

0o0

There’s something not humanly right about getting up at 3.30am. But I’ve done it today to catch the train up to Stratford in time for the bus to Eton Dorney. I know, I know. Hope it’s worthwhile.

One spot of advice. If you want a seat on the high speed, get the 5.13am from Ashford. Loads of room!

I really enjoy my train journeys these days. I’m not generally a big train fan, but this week they have been brilliant. Know why? Because of the Olympics. On the way home every seat seems to be occupied with someone sporting patriotic coloured clothing, headgear, make-up or nail polish.

Spontaneous conversations break out between strangers about the events they’ve just witnessed, or some snatched whisper of major news from elsewhere at the Games.

And for me, the best thing is the reaction of the kids. The excitement on the escalator at Stratford is palpable. There are lots of ‘Where is it? Is that it? How much further?’ and ‘Can we do....’ X,Y or Z. And the poor frazzled parents on the way home, trying to sound like experts while their kids ply them for information and opinion about the events that had transpired...

Yes the Games really is bringing people together. Moan all you want about empty seats, ticket prices, rush-hour congestion and your TV soaps being moved, but this is the Games. Games are supposed to be fun. And so far, they really are.

Today definitely feels different.

Welcome back to the Olympic Park. This is my third day based here and we're officially counting the hours, minutes even, until the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the 30th Olympiad this evening.

Today's the day that everything changed, the trains I got on this afternoon to make my way up to Stratford from Kent were different to those I got yesterday, and Stratford International itself was a different scene today as well.

The past couple of days there has been a visible but low-key presence of the fuscia-clad Games helpers and flourescent police. However this afternoon the air feels different.

There are helpers wherever you could possibly want them, standing there just waiting to, itching to, help someone. There are police sniffer dogs and constant patrols around the concourse. The station staff themselves have all adopted waistcoats in line with the special Games uniform and even the posh announcement lady on the high-speed tannoy was saying different words today than yesterday.

Around the Park there are more journalists that I have ever seen in one place, anyone would think there's a free bar nearby. The English accents are fewer and farther between and the sun has gone in, it's just really muggy up here. The relaxed laughs and smiles of the last few days are slowly disappearing.

As of today, everyone has got their Games face on.

0o0

Yesterday was a pretty hectic one up here. Much of my day was spent walking the 500m or thereabouts from one end of the Main Press Centre to the other to pester the nice BOA people for a ticket for tonight's Opening Ceremony.

Well, I'm not sure exactly what I did, but it's worked. I have a nice shiny gold ticket in my hand and I'm pretty much running about like Charlie from the Chocolate Factory.

It's my birthday today and I got a lovely card saying I was one in a million. Well I am able to prove that I'm actually far better than that. 7.029 billion people alive. 80,000 tickets for the Opening Ceremony. You do the maths. The fact that there are apparently only 140 members of the British media who have been issued tickets makes me feel even more special. So, thanks BOA!

0o0

Part of my afternoon was spent with the exceedingly pleasant GB hockey boys, including Kent's own Ashley Jackson.

Now, four years ago I was invited to West Malling to visit a bright-eyed 20-year-old who was an up-and-comer in the British hockey world.

The blonde lad had made the squad for Beijing and was excited about the opportunity. So excited he made me a cup of tea and sat me down on his sofa to talk about it.

Well four years later Ashley claims to have no recollection of his hospitality that day, I guess his memory bank is probably stuffed with pleasant images of being handed awards, scoring vital goals and playing professional sport at the highest level over the past four years.

After chatting with Ashley, I spotted Olympic hero Sean Kerly of 1988 gold medal fame in the room and took the chance to grab a few words with him about Ashley, Canterbury and himself.

He was as incredulous as I was that someone from a local paper in Canterbury had managed to get into the Olympic Park, but he still gave me some good stuff which you'll be able to read next week.

The only low-point of the entire day was that my hockey commitments meant I missed the Swiss Olympic Association press conference with Roger Federer by five measly minutes. Oh well. Maybe I'll get another chance to meet him and pass on some tips on a cross-court backhand another time.

I couldn't help but notice that Canterbury striker and South Africa international Jen Wilson had more luck that I did, she posted pics on twitter of herself with Federer in the village on Thursday night and next to Usain Bolt in the canteen on Friday lunchtime. Nice life eh Jen, haven't you got practice or something!?

0o0

Last night saw Team GB's footballers held by Senegal in their opening match of the tournament, and their first as a unified nation in 52 years.

Medway's own Ryan Bertrand put in a good shift at left-back - which must have been nice for him after being employed at right-back in the final warm-up game.

There are flashes of some very decent stuff from the GB team, which is understandable as most of them have plenty of Premier League experience, but they always appeared ruffled by the sheer physicality of the West Africans who threatened to kick them back into four separate countries on more than one occasion.

Hopefully UAE on Sunday night will prove a less physically demanding challenge.

0o0

This is the start of a pretty long shift for me. The Opening Ceremony is due to begin at 9pm (crowd are being warmed-up from 8.12pm though) with the finish predicted at something like midnight or just after.

Now once I've gotten out of the Stadium and back to the Main Press Centre to tidy up some stories for KentOnline, it's likely to be pushing 2am, and, typically, there's a 5.30am bus to Eton Dorney tomorrow morning with my name on it.

So the plan is to find a comfy chair in a quiet corner and have a power nap, ready to watch Ashford's Tom Ransley and the men's eight in action in the heats tomorrow morning (around 10am, or should be) and then get back to London for Bromley star Ellen Gandy in the 100m butterfly second round (Around 7.45pm).

Orpington's Claire Rafferty and the GB Women will also be in action, taking on Cameroon in Cardiff at 5.15pm. Sadly I can't get there. I'm not Superman.

Remember I'll be providing live text updates from the Opening Ceremony from around 8pm tonight, and will also be posting pics and updates on twitter via @kentonline2012

Enjoy the evening - it's never going to happen again you know!

The latest issue of BBC Wildlife magazine has an interesting article regarding the possibility of lynx reintroduction into the woods of Britain. The most frustrating aspect of the article however was the word on the wildlife 'experts' who were quick to dismiss the possibility that large, exotic cats already roam the wilds of Britain. The usual questions were asked, "Why isn't one caught in a trap ?", "Why aren't they run over ?", it really is a high level of ignorance which was confirmed to me when I received a sighting yesterday from a female witness named Sian who was on a train back from London. Sian is a credible witness who has, in the past had twp encounters with a black leopard near her Rolvenden home and yesterday, before dusk she was fortunate again. Whilst travelling between Paddock Wood and Marden a large, black animal ran across a field about 50 metres away. The animal was not a dog....and it was bigger than an Alsatian. It moved like a cat. Bizarrely, Sian was one of the only people aboard the train to see the animal which pretty much proves just how alert people ARE NOT when it comes to wildlife.

I may sound old fashioned but nowadays commuters seem buried in their iphones, PC's and newspapers, and yet the sight out of the window is far more interesting than the contents of the latest social networking site. Last year only two people on a carriage holding some 30 or so people saw a wild boar in a field so it goes to show the lack of awareness. Being on a train may not seem the most likely place to see a 'big cat' especially as most of the surroundings at times are a blur, but even so, the railway networks cut through the woods of the south-east providing a glimpse inot a habitat rarely seen by the general public. The railway line is perfect for a large cat to navigate by - alongside a railway line there is enough food and cover to hide an elusive predator which is why some sightings take place in back gardens in seemingly unlikely areas such as Strood, Halling, Cuxton etc. Another great place for a large cat to lurk at night is a golf course - not the sort of place people frequent. At the moment investigations are under way in Sevenoaks after some elusive wild boar have been seen damaging a course.

I always advise people when they are a passenger in a car or on a train to scan the hedgerows, treelines etc, because these are the areas where a cat will stalk.

Last saturday I spent many hours, with a friend, sitting out in the vast woods of the North Downs. The area is perfect for a large cat or two to hide. From 11:00 am until the late hours we saw two people all day, a dog walker and someone on a bike, but with the Blue Bell's popping up, the woods provided ample cover for any animal that did not wish to be seen. As the rains came down around dusk, sitting out scanning the hedgerows made for an eerie experience. Nope, we never saw anything, except for a wet fox and a scurrying rabbit...and the intriguing bright eyeshine of an animal that was gone in a second (it wasn't a fox/badger/rabbit - the eye shine was bright and a long way away) but the foreboding woods that stretched as far as the eye could see, just confirmed to me just how naive people are regarding the existence of these animals and the woods we still have. At one point we during mid afternoon we disturbed a resting owl which fluttered off into the trees, we were so close to it and yet never knew it was there until it rushed from the bushes. A large cat could lay up just feet away and not be seen. It reminds me of a recent sighting near Halstow concerning a female witness who was picking berries when she heard a terrible growl which came from the bushes below her. Immediately the woman questioned herself then continued picking until it happened again. When she peered down into the thicket she saw an enormous black cat peering back. This had taken place on a roadside. Cats have a remarkable ability to hide in the most unlikely of places.

Tracking a large cat is difficult but if you can, try to think like the cat, and only then can you give yourself a remote chance of seeing something. If you are fortunate enough to see such an animal I can guarantee  that the experience will stay with you forever.

Well, 2011 has been a busy one and my blog has suffered. I apologise for not keeping up with it but now I am back and so is my next interviewee.

This is Gabriela Margarita Houlgraves or 'Gabby', 34 from Sittingbourne.  Gabby works as a Customer Support Assistant at Maidstone Library.

Our beloved county is the reason I write this blog.  It is the best!

Gabby loves our county to because it is 'so green!'

"This surprises a lot of the people here when I say it.  You all [Kent residents] think it's very, very urbanised, but I just look at the vast fields and meadows.  Always so close and forests everywhere, and think 'Dude, this is the Shire!"

As you can tell from the last part of that quote, Gabby is a Lord of the Rings fan. Everyone needs to have a hobbit!

As part of my 2011 revamp, I have added a question to all my new interviewees which has been instated to find out if the people of Kent have interesting facts or information to share with me.  I always like to learn new things about Kent!

Gabby has selected to inform us about the history of Dover Castle, commissioned to be built by Henry II in the 12th century.

"The tunnels were first dug for the Napoleonic Wars, and then used as a command centre for Operation Dynamo which was the operation set up for rescuing soldiers from Dunkirk.  This is all well known."

This can be found on the English National Heritage website: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk

What was more intriguing was what Gabby relayed next.

"There was also a lower level call 'Dumpy' which was the command centre during the Cold War and it was going to be opened to the public after the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act made it legal to do so.  But English Heritage went under there and found a lot of subsidence and were not as sturdy as the Napoleonic ones and also left in a hurry when the level got decommissioned, so they're not structurally sound. Lovely chalk!"

"And that is why the public won't be allowed down there!"

Gabby feels it is a shame as she would love to go down there and see them.  I would love to see it as well, it sounds fascinating.

We moved on to one of my favourite subjects: FOOD!

Gabby likes to dine at Maggie's cafe on Week Street.  I agree Maggie, whoever she is, does a blinding fried breakfast!

"The wholemeal baguettes and fillings are wonderful, not to mention the salads, the chilli, the cakes and pastries (all home-made) and the staff are the friendliest in town."

Also, Gab enjoys eating at Kitsu, a Tunbridge Wells based place that has, in her words 'The best sushi and teriyaki beef I've ever had."

Equally, Gabby likes an Indian at the Royal Tandoori in Chatham, traditional chips from a chippy in Lenham and her favourite pub is the Ringlestone nr Harrietsham.

We definitely have something in common here!

I always like to be a little bit nosey and find out what my interviewees get up to in their free time.  It feels like I can relate to them if they have something in common with me (in addition to food of course).

"Reading, reading, reading. I can't get enough of books!" Gabby says. "Guess it's lucky I work in a library!"

"I also love visiting English Heritage sites, you see something new every time.  And spending time with family and friends.  Nothing beats a house full of the people you love, all having fun and laughing, sharing life and food & drink."

I think Gabby is a great person, who lives life to the full.  That's the kind of people we need more of in this county to keep up its awesomeness.

This is always my favourite part of the interview: hearing a short story that sums the interviewee up.  I have heard some whoppers since I have been writing this blog - waking up half naked on a beach, buying items such as a bouncy castle on impulse, walking into walls or buying 'Chillis' when you are supposed to buy 'Jelly'.

"I was born in Puerto Rico (in the Caribbean), and I moved to New Orleans to my master's degree.  I still miss New Orleans, every day I'm not there, though I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world but here, in Kent."

That's what I like to hear!

"My first apartment burnt down, soon thereafter, I met Mark (now my husband- he's English, of course), and moved into a lovely shotgun house in New Orleans (For all who are not familiar, it is a narrow, rectangular building)."

"Mark and I got engaged, and i started getting my paperwork for the visa to come here to live and get married. There was a rumour that someone burned down their house near my house to collect the insurance money. The whole block of houses, including mine, burnt down.  I barely had time to grab my cat and laptop and run out of the house.  When I came back to see what was left, almost everything was burnt, except my visa papers and my winter clothes, and a crocheted Afghan my gran had sent me from Puerto Rico."

I want it noted now that Gabby has done fantastically to bounce back from this ordeal where others probably would have rolled over and given up.

"I took that as a sign from God and the Universe that I needed to go with my heart, to Mark and England.  And I didn't look back."

"Do I miss my family and friends from the other side of the Atlantic?  Oh yes!"

"Would I change anything? Not really. I only wish I'd met Mark before so we could have stated our life together sooner and that I had the power to teleport so I could visit my gran and my friends as often as I liked."

What a great story with both highs and lows but an overall outcome that is justly deserved.

It is always important to evolve and progress over time. That is true in both people, nature and our much loved county.  Gabby has some interesting suggestions on how to achieve this.

"I think we should have a better public transport network and it should be more realistically priced, so that people are seen to be quite foolish to take their cars out.  

I agree as I walk every where and think they should pump more money into transportation.

"If the buses and trains took us to where we wanted to go, frequently and cheaply enough, I swear people would give up cars quicker than you can say 'petrol'.  This is particularly true for people in rural locations, who are often quite isolated if they don't have a car.  But even between town centres, the service provision seems almost random!"

I think Gabby talks absolute sense and is valid in that our services are at times extortionate and something needs to be done to preserve the environment for the future generations.

And now to the finale.  My random question of the week.

You hear the four minute warning, you know it will only take you 10 seconds to get into a safe place, what would you do with the other 3 minutes and 50 seconds?

"That's a hash one!  Wow. I wasn't expecting that."

I like this reaction as it is meant to be surprising and awkward to answer.  It is my unique thing!

"I am close to Mark and Sebastian (my son) so I can make sure they're safe with me but even if not, the same applies.  Get as many people as I can into the safe place, hold them close and send a prayer up for the rest of my loved ones and the world!"

Sounds depressing but a nice answer and a good way to round off this sensational lady's interview.

Thank you Gabby for your time and I wish you all the best for the future. This interview has been a pleasure!

Well that's all folks for this week, check in again soon to see who will be my next victi... interviewee!

The most exciting news (allegedly) in Thanet, since the opening of Dreamland in the 1950’s, is the opening of Turner Contemporary in Margate. I was lucky enough to go the press opening on Wednesday 13^th April ahead of the official opening.

Whilst what is on exhibited is quite beautiful, although sparse, the most dramatic scene is the view of the sea from the various galleries which is rather special especially when the sun sets.  

I cannot but feel that this is the wrong location for the right project. This should have been in Whitstable, where it would have been more at home with the population, rather than the still down-at-heel Margate.

Building Turner Contemporary in Margate, is akin to deciding to re-build the iconic Indian Taj Mahal mausoleum in Leytonstone, East London.

I do love Thanet, and in particular Margate, as I have fond childhood memories from the 1970s. But the memories of what Margate was then and is now and what it could be is so contrasting that it could be fiction.

I make an exception though for the following: the outstanding boutique B&B The Reading Rooms, (www.thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk) the Harbour Café Bar, restaurant, The Ambrette (www.theambrette.co.uk), The Lifeboat Ale & Cider House (www.thelifeboat-margate.com), the boutiques and galleries in the Old Town and of course the mildly eccentric  Walpole Bay Hotel, (www.walpolebayhotel.co.uk). I worry that apart from these places, Margate has little to offer the 400 people a day expected to visit Turner Contemporary.

If the not-great attitude I encountered on the telephone with the receptionist, at Turner, is mixed with the ineptitude of the Visit Kent staff (who I feel have ignored Thanet for years) then Margate’s school report should be downgraded from ‘could do better’ to ‘there is little or no improvement here, just yet’.

Margate needs as huge facelift: for starters why not knock that hideous high rise on the seafront down or at least paint it. In fact, why not give grants to paint the entire seafront.  Remove the tacky arcades, and replace them with Victorian-style shopping fronts and make Margate, Margate again.

Then inform certain London local authorities that Thanet will no longer tolerate housing their addicts or delinquents and push hard for a high-speed link to Canterbury - and only then might Margate rise from the ashes and I hope it does, as I love the place.

But as I write this blog, it appears that the Margate’s Big Event, the one with the Red Arrows, might not happen as the money has gone on the Turner, but then again it might have gone on a dozen street football coordinators…

67 Seconds is the amount of time from stepping off one train at Paddock Wood to the Medway Valley line train departing. Lovely in this sort of weather and if it was timetabled that way I'd be quite impressed but, of course, it wasn't.

This evening serious delays were caused on the London Charing Cross to Ashford/Ramsgate line due to a broken down train at Dunton Green. I'll give the guard of my train some credit, he actually came onto the tanoy to announce that he didn't have a clue what was going on but was going to find out and I appreciated that as it was clear that he was dealing with the situation.

Five minutes later we were told it was a train fault at Dunton Green. The journey into Paddock Wood was delayed by 7 minutes but the Medway Valley line service was held - for 67 seconds. Of course, this means that my fellow commuters from London Canon Street and London bridge who got the 17:49 were once again stuck on the cold platform of Paddock Wood.

This evenings delays were simply a follow on of morning delays which are a follow on of last weeks delays. Southeastern are only consistent in their failure.

MPs are on the wrong track to call for Southeastern to be stripped of its franchise.

It’s a kneejerk, populist and opportunistic response to the operator’s less than inspiring performance during the bad weather, and the inflation-busting New Year fare hike.

That’s not to ignore the nightmare for commuters in the snow. They had a horrible time. Some were trapped for hours on end, and Southeastern’s communications system, although better than a year ago, still left many travellers unaware of what was happening.

Southeastern does not deserve to be pilloried for a situation that was largely out of its control. It is stuck with an unsuitable third rail system that it would love to replace if billions of pounds were available. Network Rail looks after the track and any failure to clear snow is down to them.

The infrastructure owner did itself no favours by taking de-icing trains out of service just before the big freeze arrived. But at least it invested in heating strips in several Kent blackspots which appeared to help a little in the second snowfall. Southeastern’s information system was not great, especially at stations, but its website bulletins were unusally up-to-date.

The National Rail Inquiries site often took the wrong data. Given the horrendous conditions that affected rail services across the rest of Europe and the limitations of third rail, they did not do too badly. As for fare hikes, blame the Government which is progressively slashing subsidy.

The new coalition government raised the fare cap. Southeastern scored an own goal by failing to separate punctuality rates of high-speed from those of the traditional service.

By announcing a level fractionally above the 82 per cent compensation threshold, thanks to high-speed performance, they looked mean. It would have been good PR, if less good for the bottom line, to have split the two and awarded compensation to hard-pressed customers on traditional services.

But let’s not forget what Southeastern has achieved. Remember Connex and the nightmare it inflicted on passengers? Southeastern has improved the service no end. Before the snow, punctuality rates were pretty good. Its introduction of the superb high-speed service has been exemplary.

It plays a key role in the Kentish economy and takes an interest in its fortunes through sponsorship and community involvement. It will be crucial in the efficient transportation of people to and from the Olympic site at Stratford. Why risk a generally improving service by getting rid of an operator that is more often right than wrong?

There are many worse systems than Southeastern. Yes, there are lessons for Southeastern to learn, but let’s praise them for what they have achieved, and remember that many of the problems cited by MPs and others were not of their making.

Commuters in the Medway Towns are seething about the fares increases they faced this week thanks to SouthEastern trains.

What they may be unaware about is those hard-headed businessmen that run the trains have a heart after all.

Every time you buy a season ticket on Southern trains, a charity benefits.

I know - charity begins at home. But there is a soft spot somewhere deep in Southern.

They have a list of charities they support, and each time a ticket is sold they contribute to charity..

Just think - one per cent from each ticket would mean worthy causes like cancer research, children's care services, heart research would be £33 if SouthEastern did the same.

It would certainly be over thirty quid, anyway. A fraction more - say the equivalent of a pound a week - would be magnanimous behaviour we could all praise.

It's only when you read the small print that you discover the soft hearts at Southern are ruled by the hard heads.

They are far from giving a quid a week, or even one per cent of the total take.

In fact, those worthy charities they support - the Railway Children which provides food, shelter, healthcare and education for children living on the streets, and the Rockinghorse Appeal to make Sussex hospitals more child-friendly - benefit to the tune of one single, paltry pound.the internet and is only an annual ticket.

What's more, good old munificent Southern trains doesn't cough up the cash to these worthy causes unless the ticket is bought on

I'll bet that keeps the politicians away from their doors, and soften the self-centred commuters who seem only to think of their own pay packets......

You will be delighted to know that our own railway company, SouthEastern, is lacks its neighbour's skills of parsimony. It simply keeps all the money it screws out of commuters.